Massena Stonegarden Shiraz

 Massena is an interesting brand to look at for those who like Dan Standish wines, but prefer to avoid the prices of the Standish Wine Company, as he is making the wines for this label. Having said this, the 2018 Massena Stonegarden Shiraz is not as cheap as it once was.

Here is another review of a wine from the Stonegarden vineyard in Eden Valley. As you can see, it is high altitude, with quite rocky soil and low yields.

The wine is made using open fermenters, basket pressed, and using new and old French oak barrels. This full-bodied wine delivers flavours of plum, kirsch, mulberry, and mocca. The mouthfeel is quite soft before firm tannins hit the palate. I did not find this wine particularly appealing. It said to me 'I am not getting the love I deserve'. 

Score: 93/0

Barossa, Part 3

 On day two in the Barossa, I kicked off with Brothers At War. The Wardlaw brothers have different preferences in wine, one favouring the bigger Barossa Valley wines, the other the sleeker Eden Valley wines. Again, my tasting was extensive, and I need to summarize somewhat.

The two Rieslings from the Eden Valley, the 2021 The Grape Grower, and the 2021 Nothing In Common, were excellent. The first is very delicate, with lime fruit and light acidity. The second is firmer, with more depth of fruit (both 92 points).

Then we come to the red wines of the family range and the premium range. I tasted the 2020 Some Other Guy GSM, the 2020 The Old Man Eden Valley Syrah, the 2020 I'm Always Right Eden Valley Cabernet, and the 2020 Fist Fight Barossa Shiraz. These wines are all quite fruit forward. They do not have enough structure for me (86 to 90 points).   

I have similar issues with the 2020 Single Vineyard Eden Valley Mataro and the 2020 Single Vineyard Syrah. These wines come from the Pendee Farm vineyard in Springton. The Syrah is very austere, and the mouthfeel thin, the Mataro is dominated by strong coarse tannins (90 points).

I preferred the 2020 Single Vineyard Barossa Valley Shiraz from a 60 year old Lyndoch vineyard. It is red fruited, infused with some mocca notes, still made in a fresh style with firm acidity (93 points).

Some production notes, not sure you can read them

The star of the tasting was the 2021 Single Vineyard Eden Valley Grenache. It comes from the 160 year old Stonegarden vineyard (there it is again!). 50% whole bunch is used in this wine. Red cherry, and a little fruity raspberry and cranberry flavours open up beautifully on the back palate, supported by silky tannins (95 points).

The final wine is the 2018 Icon Eden Valley Syrah/Grenache. 'Icon' seems a bit rich for a wine nobody knows. This wine has more concentration, but shows still fresh raspberry and red cherry flavours. The barnyard notes, which I have not tasted in a wine for some time, are not out of place. The finish is quite long (94 points). 

My next visit is to Eisenstone. There are a couple of things I like about this new winery from the start. This winery makes only Shiraz; focus until you master it! Secondly, it labels one series of wines by subregion, and a second by special vineyards. Stephen Cook used my book on Barossa Shiraz to develop his approach!

The first wine I taste is the 2019 Ebenezer Shiraz. The fruit comes from the famous Hoffmann vineyard. It is a mix of 1965 Dallwitz fruit (also used by Sami-Odi) and young vines. All wines are matured in French oak, this one has 50% new. There are blackcurrant, blueberry and some mocca flavours on the palate. The fruit weight is good. Savoury notes come from the oak. The wine tastes long in the mouth (93 points). The 2019 Hoffmann Single Vineyard Shiraz wine is similar in style, with red and black fruit flavours. The wine is more opulent, yet quite elegant with good complexity. This is a classic full-bodied Barossa Shiraz (95 points). The 2019 Roenfeld Rd. Shiraz, from the vineyard which also produces the new Opulus label, is surprisingly aromatic, but the structure is quite tight and linear (92 points).

The 2020 wines, from a more difficult vintage, appear more generous, with a lighter touch perhaps. The 2020 Gomersal Shiraz is lively and fruity with blackberry and blueberry flavours (93 points). The 2020 Koonanga Shiraz, from the Beckers vineyard) is very dark with mocca notes - a typical Northern Barossa Shiraz (94 points). The 2020 Hoffmann Single Vineyard Shiraz is the star of this line-up. It has a big mouthfeel, with blackberry and blueberry flavours. A very opulent wine with some lifted character and finely grained, yet firm tannins (96 points).

The style of this winery is classic Barossa Shiraz with excellent fruit sources. The winemaking could lighten up a bit more. The addition of acidity feels a little forced and not totally harmonious. It will be interesting to see the wines of 2021, when vintage conditions were perfect.

My final tasting was with Dave Powell of ??? After leaving Torbreck, he formed Powell & Son. This went well for a few years, before he had a falling out with Callum Powell. Callum now makes lighter style wines under the Agricola label. Dave Powell is still being pursued for using his own name by the Torbreck owners. So he now formed Neldner Road. However, some wines are still marketed under Powell & Son. 

The first wine is the 2018 Barossa Valley GSM. It is a classical blend with 60% Grenache. This wine is very fresh, very drinkable with great texture. The wine is quite fruit orientated with  darker flavours than typical for Grenache. The wine has good length, like a Torbreck Steading from a good year (94 points). The 2019 Barossa Shiraz spends 18 months in French foudres. It is very dark, with chocolate flavours dominant. This wine is great value for money (93 points). The 2019 Neldner Barossa and Eden Valleys Shiraz is like the Struie. Matured in foudres as well, the Eden Valley component shines through, with lifted aromatics and blue fruit (94 points).

My  second favourite of the line-up is the 2019 Loechel Eden Valley Shiraz. This wine sees 67% new oak, matured in barriques. The vineyard soil is  predominantly granite. This is a full-flavoured wine, but it has an element of lightness. The wine is elegant with great length (96 points). The 2019 Kalimna Shiraz, from 80 year old vines, is a good counter point. This wine has big fruit weight and quite coarse tannins - the big Barossa (94 points).

The 2018 Chatterton Shiraz comes from four Barossa and two Eden Valley vineyards. All vines are more than 100 years old, and the sources are largely the same as what David used for RunRig. The wine spends two years in French new oak. I found this wine already quite drinkable. The wine arrives in distinctive layers on the palate. The wine is rich, but is slightly lifted as well. It is beautifully crafted (96 points). It is tough for the 2017 Kleinig Mataro to follow. This wine displays typical Mataro flavours of meat, earth, and spice. It has a surprising fresh and expanding finish - really nice (94 points).

When you taste David Powell wines you know what to expect. There is a widespread view that his wines are too big to be enjoyed by more than a glass. I found these wines quite drinkable, however, and the winemaking is first class.

This ends the Barossa trip. I enjoyed many beautiful wines. There is a widening of styles and a new excitement in the valley, and some notable evolution at Penfolds. One thing has to be said. Most wines tasted here above 93 points are $80/bottle or more. Enjoying good wine has become quite expensive.  

   

  

 

Barossa, Part 2

 The main purpose of my visit this time is to get to know some of the newer wineries and their wine styles. Eperosa is a small operation by winemaker Brett Grocke. It shot to some fame when Brett Grocke was named winemaker of the year by James Halliday in 2021. Most wines come from the two owned vineyards in Krondorf and the Magnolia vineyard in Vine Vale. He makes mainly Semillon and the Rhone varieties. I will cover the most important wines below.

The 2020 Magnolia 1941 Semillon is grown in deep sand (as is common in the Hunter). The wine spent 16 months on lees and is barrel fermented. This means it is getting quite a bit of treatment. Lemon and oyster shell flavours lead to a bigger texture than often associated with Semillon. There is some slight oxidation in this wine. It has some waxiness on the back palate. I found this an attractive style (92 points).

The leading Grenache is the 2020 Stonegarden 1858 Grenache. As is the case with fruit from the Hoffmann vineyard in Ebenezer, suddenly everybody wants fruit from this old Springton, Eden Valley vineyard. The vineyard is high altitude, with rocky soil. This wine is red fruited, as you would expect, with red cola flavours. It also has a dark presence with licorice notes. I must say I expected more from this (92 points).

The most important wines are the Shiraz wines from the Magnolia vineyard. It sits at the base of Menglers Hill at over 300m altitude. A number of gullies run through the property and split the vineyard into distinctive blocks, planted at different times. The soils vary, with deep sand the most common.

The 2020 Magnolia 1965 Shiraz comes from the highest part of the vineyard. It is farmed organically. It is quite a concentrated wine, with violet notes, blue fruited (similar to Eden Valley) with some iron flavours, and very elegant. Brett compared the wine to Cornas (94 points).

The 2020 Magnolia 1896 Shiraz is grown on rockier soil. Again, it is blue fruited and shows an ethereal elegance, which one seems to only get from very old vines. The tannins are fine and the finish long (95 points).

I enjoyed the two flagship wines. They taste more like Eden Valley than Barossa Valley. The other wines are fine, but not so special (except for the Semillon).

The next stop was Alkina. Alkina is the talk of the valley right now. The 60ha property near Greenock was purchased by Argentinian billionaire Alejandro Bulgheroni about 10 years ago. He also owns wineries in Argentina, Uruguay, France, USA and Italy. 6ha on the property was planted in 1950. Another 37ha have been planted by now, some parts going back to 1970, some only a few years old. The vineyard is managed biodynamically, and extraction in the winery is on the light side. Significant investment in concrete eggs, Italian Amphorae and Georgian Qveri give the winery a look unlike any other in the Barossa Valley.

The entry level wines from young vines are called Kin. I tasted the 2022 Semillon, and the 2021 Grenache and Mataro from this range. The Semillon is fuller bodied than the Hunter wines. The reds show great typicity. There is great freshness and fruit purity in these wines (92-93 points).

I did not like the 2020 Birdsong Shiraz much. It was matured in old foudres. The wine is very fruity, followed by drying tannins (89 points).

I now need to talk about the Polygon project. Electro conductivity mapping technology has been used on the original 6ha vineyard to separate out in fine detail different soil types. This is done by sending electromagnetic impulses into the ground. This project is lead by Chilean soil scientist Pedro Parra and Italian winemaker Alberto Antonini. Based on the mapping, a number of soil pits are excavated. Different profiles were identified. These small blocks now form the basis for individual wines. It is expected they will show differences, depending on the schist, clay, limestone and quartzite compositions.

The first wine I taste from this area is a blend, however: the classic GSM. The 60% Grenache comes from Polygon 4, comprising clay and degraded schist. It is called 2020 Old Quarter. The wine is fresh, very elegant, pretty, and complex. It is very balanced between components, which have 70-100% whole bunch. There is excellent minerality on the finish (95 points).

The 2019 Polygon 5 Grenache is made in a similar way. The soil is schist with clay and iron. It translates into a firmer structure. This is a dark and elegant wine with intense raspberry and red plum flavours.  The tannins are very fine (95 points). This is supposed to contrast with the Polygon 3 Grenache. These wines are made in minuscule quantities, and unfortunately, no more Polygon 3 was available. The 2019 Polygon 1 Shiraz comes from a schist  and quartzite block. This is a bigger wine, blackberry, mocca, and licorice flavours, with firm and chalky tannins (95 points). There will never be much of these wines, we are talking about 50 cases each.

Overall, Alkina is an innovator, bringing something new to the Barossa. The wines are positioned on the beginning of the ripeness spectrum, with great fruit purity and finesse.

 

Barossa, Part 1

 

I spent the following two days in the Barossa. And what better way to start than at a private Penfolds tasting at the Kalimna Homestead. It is of course surrounded by the famous Kalimna vineyard, first planted around 1890 by the Fowler family. Vineyard and homestead was bought by Penfolds in 1945. Red winemaker Steph Dutton, who is likely to succeed Peter Gago when he retires (you read it here first), took me through the tasting, which consisted mostly of a mix from the 2021 and 2022 Penfolds Collection.

We started with the 2022 Bin 51 Riesling from Eden Valley. This was the first of a number of very positive surprises. Lime rind was the dominant flavour component. The wine has good volume and a fine texture. Minerality develops on the back palate before a long finish (95 points).

Next came the 2019 Yattarna. The fruit is 56% Tasmania, 34% Tumbarumba, 11% Adelaide Hills. The Tasmanian component has been increasing due to climate change and style refinement, while Tumbarumba fruit adds nerve, and Adelaide Hills generosity according to Steph. The wine is matured in 50% new oak barriques. Concentrated citrus fruit, nectarine, pear and smoky oak deliver a complex flavour profile. This is a stylish wine with some fruit weight, but matched with mineral acidity. The Yattarna is getting better with every release. This is a stunning wine (97 points).

The first red is the 2019 Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz. This wine sees 100% French hogsheads, 20% new. Peppercorn and spice are the key features of this well structured wine. I detect a bit of alcoholic warmth on the finish (93 points). 

Then comes a special release wine, the 2018 Century Vines Barossa Valley Shiraz. Blending is in the DNA of Penfolds. This could have come from a single vineyard of 100 year old vines, but no, this is a blend from a number of grower owned old vineyards. What this does, it gives a certain layering of fruit flavours (more so in Grange). This wine is matured in old French hogsheads. This is a ripe wine. Mulberry, blackberry, figs and bacon on the palate, anchored by savoury, gravelly tannins - classic Barossa, classic Penfolds (96 points).

Then comes one of the big surprises of this tasting: the 2019 Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz. This wine always has more than just 50% Cabernet fruit. This one has 53%. Quite a bit comes from Langhorne Creek. The wine is matured in 100% American oak, 30% new. This wine has great complexity. The herbal notes of the Cabernet start you off, sweet plum from the Shiraz takes over, and it all ends in a mix of meatiness and mocca. The big surprise here is the sheer drinkability of the wine. I remember tasting older vintages at young age, and this was often not a pleasant experience. Oak and tannins were too strong. According to Steph, the introduction of cross-flow filtration has given this wine much more polish. I will in the summary talk about some other developments at Penfolds which make the young wines so exciting (96 points). 

The 2019 Bin 169 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon is from the yet to be released 2022 Collection. The wine is aged in French hogsheads, 56% new. There is the expected blackcurrant, mulberry, tobacco leaf, and dark chocolate. I have always struggled a bit with Coonawarra Cabernet, often because of eucalypt flavours. There is a bit in this wine, but it is in the background. The structure of this wine is very tight. This wine needs time (94 points). 

Now we come to the star of the tasting, the 2018 St. Henri. The wine is aged in old French vats, which gives the fruit prime place. The wine is multi-regional, but predominantly Barossa Valley. This wine is so polished and elegant. Blackberry, plum and chocolate lead to an overall creamy like praline flavour. The tannins are super fine and silky (98 points).

Similarly to the  Bin 389, the main feature of the 2017 Grange for me is the sheer drinkability of this wine. The layering of the fruit comes from the blend of 14 blocks in this wine. It is a very dark and voluminous wine, a typical Grange in this way. Aromatic and meaty, big and drink now. How do they do it (97 points)?

The big revelation in this tasting was how approachable the wines were. Also, French oak is becoming ever more prominent, without giving up on the house style of the flagship American oak wines. This lead to a general discussion of what has changed at Penfolds. It turns out a lot. 

- Many trials with different oak barrels have been carried out over the years. The sourcing is now much smarter than it used to be. 

- The tannin management is much more detailed.

- In the vineyard, there is a lot of detailed mapping and technology is used for profiling moisture and ripeness. Grapes get picked by rows now, rather than vineyards.

- There is also an emphasis on root stock and clones management.

I was very impressed with these wines, and by early accounts, this will carry over into the 2022 Collection. I will have an opportunity to taste many of these in 10 days. 

Claire Valley, Part 3

 It is not a secret, but it is not widely known that since 2017, Kilikanoon is 80% owned by Changyu, China's largest wine company. Kilikanoon was only formed in 1997, but since then had a turbulent history. At some stage, the owners also owned the majority of Seppeltsfield, but now it has withdrawn from the Barossa and is firmly focused on Clare Valley. Winemaking has moved on from founder Kevin Mitchell to Peter Warr, who I met with on my last stop in the Clare. 

The tasting was wide ranging. I will focus on red wines here. First: Grenache. The blue label depicts entry level wine. The 2019 Prodigal Grenache shows interesting blueberry flavours. It is quite a structural wine, with acidity and oak quite noticeable (91 points). More winemaking comes into play with the black label. The 2018 Duke's Reserve is a full-bodied wine with blackcurrant, mushroom and earthy notes prominent. No raspberry in sight - unexpected, but good (93 points). The highlight of this bracket comes from the grey label, which indicates old vines. The 2020 Walton 1946 Grenache is quite outstanding. 30% wholebunch contributes to a smooth wine, not as worked as the previous wine, with layers of red and blue fruit (95 points). Kilikanoon has clearly jumped on the Grenache wave we currently experience. And there is more. The 2018 Baudinet GSM is quite dark and fruity (92 points).

We then move on to the fuller bodied Rhone varieties. First, the 2020 Ashton 1920 Mataro, from 100 year old vines. A number of wineries in South Australia now make straight Mataro, and it is an interesting addition. This wine is dark fruited with blood orange flavours as well. The wine is slaty and earthy, yet surprisingly elegant (93 points).

 

The first Shiraz is the 2018 Covernant. Blackberry and cassis deliver a typical palate. The wine is dynamic driven by these flavours. Firm tannins are well integrated (91 points). This contrast with the 2016 Oracle, the flagship wine made by the old regime. This wine is very concentrated and rich. Raspberry and blackberry flavours deliver a jammy mouthfeel. The French oak is also very noticeable - a not perfectly executed Parker wine (89/-). And this contrast with the 2018 Morrison Shiraz/Cabernet. This wine is concentrated as well, but it is lively and driven by fruit. Red and black fruit flavours are nicely layered (95 points). 

Finally, two straight Cabernet Sauvignons. The entry level 2018 Block Roads Cabernet Sauvignon shows the variety so well: redcurrant, capsicum, tomato leaf and chocmint (93 points). A big step up, and an outstanding wine is the 2018 Tregea Reserve. It has a similar profile, but is more detailed, making this a complex wine. It is softer and powdery, delivering layers of flavour as the wine rolls down the palate (96 points). 

Overall, this was a very interesting tasting. The new, more fruit focussed direction is delivering some excellent wines. 

Clare Valley, Part 2

 The next stop was Jim Barry. Jim Barry can offer a number of highlights in its portfolio. First is the 2021 Assyrtiko. This really is an attractive variety, originating from Santorini. I have written about this before. Jim Barry is the only Australian producer. And this variety is well worth seeking out. Why? It is an aromatic variety, and at the same time, it is very energetic. This is a great summer drink (92 points).

Of course, you cannot go past the Florita Rieslings. This vineyard came to prominence under John Vickery and the Leo Buring label. I tasted three years: 2021, 2015, 2013. The 2021 showed white flower on the nose. This continued on the palate together with lime flavours. This wine is quite powerful and very driven (94 points). The 2015 had a similar fruit flavour profile, and started to show the maturing signs of Riesling: a whiff of kerosene, but actually more of a marmelade flavour (95 points). The 2013 displayed more kerosene, but the fruit was still fresh (94 points). I also tasted the 2018 LoosenBerry Walta Walta, the joint effort with Dr. Loosen from Germany. This wine is made more in the German style, with more time on lees and maturing in used oak. I found the wine a bit nondescript and a little sweet, although it is labeled dry (92 points). The 2021 showed more freshness and line (93 points).

The next bracket featured Cabernet Sauvignon. The first wine was the 2016 Pb Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon. It had redcurrant on the front palate, some Shiraz sweetness in the middle and an earthy finish. This was a decent example of Australia's classic blend (92 points). Then came the 2018 First Eleven Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has a very bright profile with redcurrant dominant, backed up by some mocca flavours (92 points). The 2017 Benbournie Cabernet Sauvignon from the Clare was quite different; a solid structure and a very tannic wine which gripped my mouth (91 points). This bracket was ok, but there were no outstanding wines here.

This changed with the 2018 The McRae Wood Shiraz. This wine is dark fruited with blackberry flavours, 5 spice and olive notes. The fruit is from declassified Armagh, and augmented with fruit from other vineyards. But hey, this wine is quite brilliant, with silky tannins and a long finish (95 points). The Armagh comes from 54 year old vines, and has quite some pedigree, obviously. The 2017 is very dark and more concentrated than the before tasted McRae Wood, and it still has some freshness. Yet I found the wine a bit dense (94 points).   

Clare Valley, Part 1

I spend the first day of a brief tour to South Australia’s wine regions in the Clare Valley. I am mainly interested tasting red wines as opposed to the more flagship Riesling. My first stop is at Taylors. I abandoned Taylors some ten years ago because of their in my view excessive use of new oak. Since then, a number of new labels have been introduced. So it was time for a new assessment.

The first couple of wines were Rieslings, though; the 2022 St Andrews Riesling and the 2012 St. Andrews Riesling. St Andrews means the fruit is from the Estate. Both wines are quite similar in character, with the 10 year old wine more developed and the acid less prominent. There is white flower and lime, both on nose and palate. The wines are quite fruity and a little broad (88 points).

The Chardonnays see 100% new oak. The 2018 St Andrews Chardonnay tastes of stone fruit, and the oak is pretty well integrated (92 points). The 2015 version already has quite a golden colour, and some butterscotch coming through (90 points).

The 2018 St Andrews Shiraz sees 65% new oak, and is matured in this 60% American and 40% French oak. The wine is still quite fresh, red fruited, with some confectionery flavours, no doubt from the American oak (91 points). The 2015 Pioneer Shiraz (best of grapes) has spent 3-4 years in oak (not sure if 100% new). This is a wine on steroids. The fruit weight is big, the tannins firm and coarse, and the vanilla oak prominent. Not my cup of tea (92 points).

Finally, the Cabernets. The 2017 St Andrews Cabernet (current release), shows good typicity. Redcurrant, bay leaf, herbs, and capsicum. The firm acidity delivers a good structure. The fruit is a little underdone given the good vintage (92 points). The 2015 Visionary Cabernet was the best wine of the line-up, but not by much. Again, it is made from the best grapes and spends a lot of time in oak. The flavours were similar to the last wine, but the finish was much longer. This wine will last a long time (93 points).

Overall, oak was still a dominant feature, although perhaps better managed than what I remember. Unfortunately, the fruit was not quite big and concentrated enough to be a dominant match.

Diamantis Xinomavro

 Greek wines are gaining more interest. It started with Santorini’s Assyrtiko, and has moved to red varieties from the mainland. Xinomavro is sometimes compared to Nebbiolo because of its aromatics, earthy aspects and high tannins. The 2017 Diamantis Xinomavro is grown at a high altitude of 900 meters on limestone soil in the area of Siatista in Macedonia.

This wine has a bright red colour. It delivers an aromatic bouquet of rose petals. On the palate, red cherry and cranberry fruit is accompanied by some herbs and minerality. This is still a fresh, medium-bodied wine, which is quite elegant. It tastes like a cooler climate wine with firm tannins on the finish. It is best drunk with a protein dish.

Score: 91/+

By Farr New Releases

 The By Farr labels seem to say 'Don't look at the label, try the wine', so we will not look at it.

The 2021 By Farr Chardonnay shows cool climate citrus flavours with firm acidity. It is a good wine, but I find nothing very special about it (92/+ points).

This is different when it comes to Pinot Noir. It is fascinating to compare the two major wines, from vineyards next to each other. The 2020 By Farr Farrside is a light red, a little cloudy. The strawberry notes from the bouquet carry forward to the palate. There is forest floor as well. The main feature, though, is the bony and mineral structure of this wine. There is ironstone in the soil, and you can taste it (even though scientists will not approve). The 2020 By Farr Sangreal is remarkably different. The colour is dark, and black cherry flavours dominate. The fruit flavours are quite big in this lush wine. This is an elegant wine with softer tannins. Will the structure hold up to the fruit? This is not obvious now, but it probably will. If you are a Burgundy drinker, the Farrside would be Chevrey-Chambertin and the Sangreal Vosne-Romanée. A blend of the two, with the structure of Farrside, and the fruit of Sangreal would have been ideal for me. (Both wines 95/++)

The Shiraz is an interesting story. The vineyard was planted 90/10 to Shiraz and Viognier. The Farrs than found out that a 10% Viognier contribution makes the wine taste like Viognier. Now the contribution is 4%. The remainder is now bottled as a straight Viognier. The 2020 By Farr Shiraz shows great purity of fruit. It is delicate with excellent blackberry character. It would have been outstanding as a 100% Shiraz. Unfortunately, even the 4% Viognier has significant influence and dulls the wine somewhat. Still, a high quality drink (93/0 points).     

Powell & Son Loechel Vineyard Shiraz (edited)

 When writing about Dave Powell, wine and personality are inextricably linked. He is larger than life, a very generous, but also quite opinionated man. I don't want to go too much into it, but this is briefly what happened. After he lost control of Torbreck, he formed a company with his son Callum, who had been helping him at Torbreck towards the end. This was Powell & Son. Unfortunately, this partnership only lasted a few years. Dave Powell went his own way, forming Neldner Road. 

When Powell & Son hit the market, a couple of wines were offered for $750 per bottle. I thought this was a very cynical approach for a new brand, not withstanding Dave managed to source excellent fruit from old vineyards. As I learnt, these wines were largely pre-sold to Hongkong, where Dave had a strong following. This essentially bankrolled the new venture. Obviously, since China raises tariffs, this has become impossible.

I was much more modest and bought some 2016 Powell & Son Loechel Vineyard Shiraz for $130 per bottle. The fruit comes from Eden Valley, just south of the town, from 50 year old vines.

The colour is ruby, giving the higher elevation of the vineyard (400m) away. On the nose, black fruits and some smoky notes emerge.

On the palate, plum (why do most people not want to mention plum as a flavour?), blackberry, also blueberry, olive and smoke deliver a complex, full-bodied mouthfeel. This is a ripe wine, as expected, but shows some surprising freshness as well. The tannins are silky before the wine finishes long.

Dave Powell is perfect with Eden Valley fruit. What can be overwhelming from the Barossa Valley does not quite reach the same level of denseness from the Eden Valley. I found this wine to be a fantastic example of a full-bodied, yet drinkable and satisfying Shiraz. I wish I had bought more than a couple of bottles.

Score: 96/+++

Sami-Odi 'Mahé & Ribo' Syrah

 Sami-Odi is in the house! I reviewed the 2015 Sami-Odi 'Mahé & Ribo' Syrah a year ago, and I am interested to see how it has further developed. Today, I show the other side of the bottle.

This time, I find more complexity in the fruit profile. Blackberry, blueberry, and red fruits all show. There is some typical Shiraz sweetness on the mid-palate, but not too much. Mocca and spice flavours appear. This is quite a balanced and attractive full-bodied wine. It is bigger than the Hoffmann Dallwitz I reviewed a few days ago, but this is not a fat or overripe wine. In fact the flavours start to drop off on the back palate. This is compensated by firm, but mellowing tannins. There is a silky long finish. This wine still has many good years ahead.

Score: 95/+++

Adelina McLaren Vale Shiraz

 Adelina is a relative newcomer with wines from Clare Valley (their home) and McLarenVale. Its recent 2021 Adelina McLaren Vale Shiraz received high praise from many critics.

If you plan to drink this wine now, you need to decant the bottle for a number of hours at least. My review is based on a tasting on day two, when the wine has settled some.

This wine is red fruited, very fresh, with some green apple flavours, somewhat unusual for Shiraz. The wine is not unripe, but certainly lives at the early envelope of ripening. It is a very vibrant wine with firm acidity and chalky tannins. Think of it as the antithesis of Torbreck, perhaps.

I think all the elements are there, including fruit quality, but it has pushed modernity a bit far for my liking. And the wine needs to soften. It is definitely great value at its price.

Score: 91-92/+